The Dilemma of Being a Couple
by Urusaii
Summary: Natsu had just been told that he is not a worthy boyfriend for Lucy, so he tried tactics to prove them wrong. And darn right he would! A sequel to Incomprehensible. T for language. :


**Summary:** Natsu had just been told that he is not a worthy boyfriend for Lucy, so he tried tactics to prove them wrong. And darn right he would! ~A sequel to Incomprehensible. :)

**A/N:** Another one-shot, huraaay for the lazy urusaii who had just proudly finished her OJT! Yaaa~y! This story is based from Special A's Chapter 63 (one of my favorite chapters!). I was imagining if this happens to Natsu and Lucy, so I made a NaLu version of it.

English is my second language and this chapter is unbeta'd so please pardon the errors. (^_~)

**Disclaimer:** I do not own Fairy Tail nor Special A. And I also disown those three indescribable creatures—I mean, girls—in this story coz they just make me sick. (Even though I'm the one who 'made' them. Geh.)

Enjoy reading! ^_^

* * *

**The Dilemma of Being a Couple**

* * *

"Natsu."

"Yes, Lucy?"

"What are you doing?"

Natsu cut the Scotch tape and taped it on the flowers' stems before looking back at her. "Putting up flowers," he said. For the past twenty five minutes while the blonde is in the bathroom taking a bath, he was busy sticking flowers on the wall of Lucy's apartment.

He's not really sure but he thought he saw Lucy's right eye twitch. "I know that," she said with what he thought was a dangerously sweet tone. "But why are you.. _taping_ these flowers on _my_ wall?"

The pink-haired dragon slayer just flashed her a toothy (and fanged) smile before explaining further. "I want to decorate your room with flowers but I don't have something to put the flowers on so I figured to tape it on the wall. I found this –" he squinted to read the label on the tape – "adhesive tape on your drawer so I used it!" he said enthusiastically as if he's so proud of what he's done.

Natsu expected his girlfriend to be shocked but she would thank him with teary eyes being as emotional and hopeless romantic that she is, so he prepared a speech in his poor little head. But the blonde gave him a look of – utter horror?- with her chocolate brown eyes as big as Plue's head and her pink lips forming a perfect 'O'. Is that what an appreciative face looks like? "I know, I'm romantic, right?" he winked at her.

"What have you done with my Magical Adhesive Tape? That was a gift from Levy, you know!" Lucy half shrieked, half screamed as she panicked towards the tape and started ripping them off.

"Hey, I just taped it," Natsu protested. "You're hurting my feelings!"

"It's not just your feelings that will be hurt if you do not use this properly!" She shrieked a decibel higher this time without looking back at him, busying herself with ripping off the sticky tapes. "Do you know what will happen if you use this in the first place?"

He just shook his pitiful head and was looking at her like he'd gone and lost all the reasons in the world. The blonde sighed with defeat and threw the tapes on the trash bin inside the bathroom and splashed it with water. Her boyfriend can be so naïve at times (?) but she could still afford some patience, right? As if answering her own question in her head, she heard an explosion inside the room so she hurriedly swung the door open and stared with horror at the scene in front of her. Her table was on fire—small fire, yes, but-

"There's one tape left on the table," Natsu said and then bent down to enthusiastically eat the burning papers on Lucy's table. When she didn't respond immediately, as if on a slow-motion, he turned back to her to see a black cloud of 'Lucy's Fit' (as what he had named it) forming above her head. Good grief, this is not going to be good. Even if he's prepared, he still almost choke on his 'food' due to nervousness when he heard a high-pitch yell from the blonde.

"You are _sooo_ gonna die, NATSU DRAGNEEL!"

**(~_^)**

"Aaaaah! What should I do? What should I do?" Natsu pulled his oddly colored hair out of frustration as he paced back and forth inside his messy house. His plan of giving flowers to Lucy had _failed_ and to prove it, he had a large lump on his head caused by the celestial mage's famous 'Lucy Kick'. Now what? If he doesn't do something, _that_ will definitely happen and he doesn't want that!

"Happy!" he turned for an advice and expected to see a flying blue cat to reply "Aye!" but he was disappointed to see nothing but a pile of junk and unwashed clothes. Oh. How could he forget? His ever loyal companion had gone out on a mission with Charle and Wendy. Again. He could not blame him though. Happy is so ever hopelessly in love with the white exceed and seeing that he's also *cough* in love *cough* himself, he knows exactly how it feels if _she_ was out of your sight. He admits he's not used to these kinds of things and neither is Lucy (she told him) but she at least had read a lot of romance novels so she somehow knows _something_ about relationships unlike him who's still groping in the dark.

Wait. _Read._ _Bright idea!_ Natsu's dark orbs lit up at the thought. He has to read those novels so that he wouldn't be left in the dark. He is a man and a man leads the relationship, right?

Right. And a man _never_ reads romance novels – it's not manly. Oh now, he's talking like Elfman.

But wait. Droopy eyes reads Lucy's novel, so it's just okay, right?

Right. Like he ever wants to be a sissy like Gray. Pffft.

For once, the _manly_ Natsu Dragneel did something that he seldom does. Natsu Dragneel was _thinking_, again, something that he seldom does. Now, what had those girls said again?

.

.

.

(_flashback_)

Like any normal day, he was walking his way towards the guild and was merrily whistling a happy tune that he forgot where he had heard. That was when he accidentally heard three girls his age talking under a tree.

"I saw Erin yesterday and I realized I just can't get enough of him! He's the coolest and the most handsome guy I ever met! Aaah, I would give everything to be his girlfriend," the red haired of the three said as she put her long and bony clasped fingers under her long and bony neck. Natsu was reminded of Erza because of her red hair but he can't – and would never dare – imagine her doing such funny and odd face.

"I know right! He is the number one idol! He's so gorgeous he looks like he was heaven sent!" The blue-haired squealed and flung her arms helplessly almost hitting her companions. She was reminded Natsu of Juvia and Levy because of the hair but somehow for an unknown reason, Natsu feels like Juvia and Levy are waaaaay much pleasant to look at compared to this one.

Natsu would have continued walking if he hadn't seen the third girl sighing dreamily as if she had just slept on Lucy's ever comfortable and soft bed. He was suddenly intrigued on what this girl has to say since.. well, she happened to be _blonde_.

"So dreamy! Like his body is sooo hot, his looks could kill, he's a powerful mage, and most of all, he's a romantic!" the blonde said that made Natsu raise his brow. This Erin is a powerful mage, huh?

A competitive mage that he is, he approached the three girls (taking note of how Lucy's blonde locks is _waaaaaaay_ much beautiful and golden and glowing and beautiful than the third girl) and burst out talking without much introduction. "Did you say he's a powerful mage? What guild is he in?"

The three girls synchronically glanced up and synchronically scrunched their multi-colored brows at him, looking as pissed as a female dog can be for interrupting their daydream. Then the blue-haired one spoke first, "Well, well, if it isn't the Salamander."

The red-haired asked, "So what if he is? What are you going to do?"

"Challenge him for a fight, of course!" Natsu replied with his usual vigor, swinging a muscled arm and completely oblivious of the sarcasm of the three girls.

All three of them were silent for a while before the blonde one spoke next, "Oh? Well, for one, we know that you yourself is strong-" The pink-haired dragon slayer puffed his chest at this unconsciously, feeling proud that the blonde one admitted his strength. "—but just strong. We women don't only like _just _strong guys. We like strong, handsome, hot and _romantic_ guys," she said smugly completely misunderstanding Natsu's competitive behavior.

This earned them a confused look from the dragon slayer, in which the blue-haired scoffed at. "Oh, look, the ever mighty Salamander doesn't _know _what we're talking about."

"I heard he and Lucy are now a couple," the red-haired said. Then she turned to her companions, "Poor, poor girl. Such a waste, isn't she? If I were Lucy I would've picked a _better_ boyfriend what with my hot body and killer looks can do."

"I bet she hadn't met Erin coz if she had, she wouldn't have minded settling on _this_ one," the blonde one said putting her hands on her hips as she looked at her friends, her shrilly voice irritating the dragon slayer's highly sensitive ears. Then she turned to Natsu, crossing her arms over her chest. "Say, Salamander, what have you done that Lucy.. became your girlfriend? I mean, look at you. I doubt if you ever had proper hygiene. And what's up with the hair? _Pink_ hair? Isn't it too girly, don't you think?"

Natsu may be naïve, but he's not that stupid to take those words as a compliment. So he crossed his arms smugly and said, "Hey, I didn't do any hocus pocus stuff if that's what you're suggesting. Lucy loves me and she told me that."

"Oh, really now? Well, she might love you today, or even tomorrow. But some day, maybe the day after tomorrow or the next, she will get tired of you and leave you for a _much better_ AND _romantic_ guy than _you_."

"I can be romantic!" Natsu defended himself hotly. If these are not girls, he would have punched them straight on their odd faces.

"Hah! As if! As what I had said, the moment she realizes she had lost interest in you, she'd just dump you for anybody else." And with that, the three girls turned their backs at the dumbfounded dragon slayer, laughing their asses off like they had just the moment of their life.

(_end of flashback_)

.

.

.

And that is the reason why he, Natsu Dragneel, must change for the better. He wouldn't let Lucy lose interest in him and leave him for another guy. No, he can't afford that. He loves Lucy with all his life and he would do anything –ANYTHING- to keep Lucy forever. And _that_ he would exactly do.

**(~_^)**

"Lucy? Are you okay?"

The said blonde raised her head looking all beat up that her blonde hair is sticking at different directions. "Miraaaa…"

"Oh dear, you really do have a problem," Mira said, worry etching her forehead. "What is it? And where is Natsu? I haven't seen him all day," she added looking around the guild for the radiant hair color of the dragon slayer.

"My precious novel has been burned into crisps! And I had spent sleepless nights just to finish it, too." The blonde wailed pitifully that the barmaid can't help but pat her on the head to console her. "And one more thing: Levy would kill me, she definitely will! Darn that dragon slayer. When I see him next time, I swear I'm gonna kick him again senseless!"

Mira flinched at Lucy's warning. Now, probably that was the reason why Natsu hadn't been in the guild all day. Normally, he would be seen sitting beside the blonde talking animatedly or he would be in front of Gray challenging him for a fight. "There, there."

"Mira.."

"Yes?"

Mira watched as the blonde celestial mage looked at the glasses behind her as if she has something in mind aside form her burnt novel. "You know, I noticed something about Natsu these past few days. He was acting pretty weird. Well, weird for his _normal_ state, that is."

"What do you mean?"

Lucy seemed to hesitate at first, biting her lip as she thought over the words she was about to say. "He looks like he was anxious about something, like he was watching my every move. And it looks like there was _something_ in his mind. I don't know. I just sense that there is something off about him." She paused. Then she continued, "But he was starting to do sweet things. More like he was _trying to_. Do you know how my novel burned? He just posted flowers against my wall using those explosive adhesive tapes that Levy gave me as a present. I know that the gesture is sweet if not for his simple mindedness of using the adhesive tapes without reading it first. Well, I'm just saying that the Natsu Dragneel I know is not the type of guy who does sweet things intentionally."

"Uh-huh," Mira said processing the information that her blonde friend had said.

"You know what, Mira, I've read this before," Lucy said seriously, her brows knitted in concentration. "Sometimes guys tend to do sweet things to hide and compensate what they have been doing behind their girlfriend's back," she said with narrowed eyes.

"Ehhh.." Mira said her own blue eyes dilating. "What, you mean you think that Natsu is cheating on you?"

Upon hearing this, Lucy blinked and then raised her hands on her head. "Oh no, what am I saying? I know Natsu is not the 'cheater' type! I believe that Natsu would not cheat on me! God, what am I thinking, this is driving me insane!" she screeched that made half of the people in the guild turn to her direction and look at their direction with curious eyes. Mira, sensing the guild's eyes, motioned for them to mind their own business. Then she turned to the now weeping blonde.

"You know what I think? Maybe Natsu just realized how much he loves doing sweet things for you," she said resting her head over her palms looking at the blonde with gentle eyes.

Lucy shot up from her seat and looked at the barmaid, considering her suggestion. Then she looked away, slightly blushing. "I don't know. But it's weird how he tries to change into someone that he is not."

"Love can do a lot of wonderful things to a person, Lucy." Another coo from the barmaid.

"Tch," Lucy muttered but she got redder, still looking away from Mira who was giggling and chuckling about how cute couple she and Natsu is and how exciting it is that Natsu is finally turning into a man now. "I'm still not comfortable with it, Mira."

"Don't worry, Lucy. You are both heading in the right direction to being a couple who would stand all the test of time," Mira beamed. Oh, how wrong the barmaid is because as soon as she said this, the door burst open, revealing a blue-haired guy wearing a blue shirt and a pair of jeans. Everyone's eyes followed the stranger as he headed straight to the blonde sitting on the bar.

"A beautiful rose for the beautiful lady," he finally said with formality and handed a plastic red rose to the flabbergasted blonde. He winked at her and blew him what-he-thought-was a flattering kiss.

Even with the goose bumps forming all over Lucy's skin, she tried to ignore the _act_ and spat, "NATSU DRAGNEEL, IS THAT YOU?"

"Why, yes, Lucy darling. Who do you think it is?" He replied her with a confident and sly smile making Lucy cringe and curl into a ball.

Oh good lord, this is embarrassing. "Why did you dye your hair?" She motioned to his poorly dyed hair since there are still pink strands that are sticking out. "And.. and what.. wh-what do you think you are _doing_?" Lucy asked looking at him from head to foot, wondering for a moment if Natsu had stumbled into a weird curse again that made him switch souls with Loke.

"I'm trying to be romantic for you, babe," he said seductively, blowing a blue strand of hair from his face.

Multiple crap.

Seeing the shocked (and..horrified..?) look on the blonde's face, he pressed further."So, what do you think of my transformation, Lucy _Love-_filia?"

Bluntly and still not blinking, Lucy said stared at him. "You, Natsu Dragneel, are downright disgusting. You hear me? Disgusting."

**(~_^)**

After Lucy's proclamation of disgust to him, Natsu dragged himself away from the guild and decided to go back home and sulk for the remaining hours of that day. He washed his hair first before he went out of the guild after he saw his own reflection on the mirror.

"_You, Natsu Dragneel, are downright disgusting."_

Yup, Lucy is right, he looks disgusting. Great. Now, he had just raised his chances of being dumped by the blonde stellar mage. But he can't give up, right? He has a fighting spirit like no other and he's going to use that spirit to rise up again and do another tactic to make Lucy fall in love with him over and over again.

Aaaaah, but today just sucks. He can't even fight off the very unpleasant feeling in his chest so he better go home first. He'll just do something about it when he's feeling better again. Operation Transformation had failed yet again. He still has this very last idea in mind that he thinks is brilliant but as Lucy had just 'rejected' him before he could ever blurt out his surprise, his spirits just went deep doooown. He's running out of ideas already, Lucy just called him 'downright disgusting' and if this last one doesn't work, then he doesn't know what to do anymore. The only good thing in that situation is that the droopy eyed-Gray is absent in the guild since he has a mission together with Erza. He cringed at the thought of them being present in his fiasco in the guild. Gajeel is horrible enough for looking at him with pity and revulsion at the same time, saying how much he had disgraced the dragon slayer race.

He sighed. "So much for being a romantic."

"So have you been dumped yet?"

Natsu looked up to see the three girls smirking at him. They have the same colored hair and faces the last time he saw them that he didn't forget who they were. "We haven't broken up!" he said defensively.

"Ohhh? Well, sooner or later she'd find somebody else."

"Lucy is so pathetic to even go out with a boy like you."

"Haven't you felt that she's already sick of you? Or are you just too dense to notice?"

The three girls bombarded him with insults, snorting like pigs and giving each other high fives. Natsu however just stood there staring hard at the ground as Lucy's words echoed again in his head.

"_You, Natsu Dragneel, are downright disgusting… downright disgusting... disgusting..."_

**(~_^)**

What Natsu did had been soooooo ghastly, alright. But Lucy thought that she just went overboard by saying those hurtful things to him. When she saw the pained look etched on his face, she felt a sharp twang of guilt on her chest that she bit her tongue until it almost bled. Their guildmates did not helped either (especially that Gajeel, darn she's gonna get back at him someday) as they hooted at Natsu's epic fail in doing whatever that he's trying to do. She's happy that Natsu is trying his best to be romantic to her, if Mira's theory is correct. But truth be told, she was somehow irked at what he's doing and she gets irritated suddenly. It all feels so wrong to her, so fake, so un-Natsu.

So after minutes of pondering and sulking inside the guild's bar, she bolted out of her seat and decided to follow him, give him a sincere apology and ask him what's bugging him. Talk can work wonders, right? _Yeah, yeah, she knows it's 'Faith can work wonders' but she needs to think of some wise words, so whatever._

Running for about seven minutes, she paused to catch her breath and cursed slightly at how Natsu could walk this fast. Just then, she saw him just a few meters from where she was standing and looking like he was contemplating on something. She better apologize to him and—WAIT, what the hell is he doing with three other girls?

_You better not cheat on me, Natsu!,_ she seethed as she marched towards them. _Especially not with these.. these THREE THINGS or whatever creature they are called!_

Slowly, she moved behind Natsu's back and listened to what the girls are saying to him. And felt a very dark cloud gathering overhead as she felt for the keys on her waist. This totally means war.

**(~_^)**

Would they really break up? Natsu thought. No, they wouldn't. Lucy loves her, she said it herself. She confessed to her three months ago and even though he fell asleep that time, still it was a confession. And he loves her, too.

But when he heard the blue-haired girl asked if he felt that she's sick at him already, he thought twice. Lucy clearly expressed her disgust on him just a while ago so he and Lucy breaking up wouldn't be impossible, right?

"Admit it, Salamander. She had said that she's tired of you already," one of the girls snickered.

"Hey, just what are you ugly things are saying to him?"

Natsu heard a voice other than the three girls in front of him say. The said three girls looked past him with horror as if they had just seen The Reaper staring at them. So he turned around and saw his very own girlfriend standing there with a frozen smile plastered on her pretty face. He thought he saw the corners of her mouth twitch and—stinking crap, he's definitely not imagining it. He saw a very dark cloud gathering above her head which he doesn't recognize as 'Lucy's Fit'. No, this is entirely different.

"L-Lucy-san.. we were just.. trying to get along with your boyfriend," the red-haired stuttered with a nervous smile, looking helplessly at Lucy's dangerous figure. "Right, N-Natsu-san?"

He frowned at them but before he could retort, Lucy interrupted. "The more that I don't like it." She dramatically flexed her knuckles as she moved forward further, until she was in front of Natsu. "And what are those things that you are saying awhile ago?"

"Wh-What things?"

"You forgot? Wait, let's see. Maybe my whip could make you remember?" Lucy reached out for her whip and the three girls drew back in fear.

"Alright, alright! We call you pathetic for dating a boy like him!" The blonde one confessed pointing to Natsu. Her other companions nudged her and scolded her for telling it to the other blonde. But she chose to ignore them and went on to what she thinks is the best thing to get out of this mess. "But Lucy-san, open your eyes! This boy is not worth it. You had the face and the body. You can get whoever boy you wanted! We're just trying to help you, girl! There are a lot of fishes in the ocean so if I were you, I should start seeking for the right one right now."

Instead of considering her words, Lucy still looked at them with great contempt. She suddenly felt like she'd gone all her senses and forgot to be civil in front of the people as what her upbringing as the lone daughter of Heartfilia had bore into her head. "If I were you, I should've kept my filthy mouth shut since I don't know if the girlfriend wants to slit those chatterboxes' throat open and gut their intestines out for insulting _her_ boyfriend."

The three girls hugged each other and exaggeratedly chanted charms to protect them from the dangerously furious blonde. However, those charms don't work on an irate dragon slayer's girlfriend, Natsu thought to himself. He can testify that. The dragon slayer just looked at the three hurled creatures starting to feel pity for them but at least glad that he's not the object of Lucy's anger this time.

"Gate of the Maiden, I open thee! Virgo!"

_Oi, oi, this is getting too much_, Natsu sweatdropped but he knew he can't do anything if Lucy's in a different kind of fit such as that. So he just watched as a pink-haired maiden in a maid's uniform materialized in a soft pop. Virgo bowed down at her fuming mistress and asked, "Is it time for my punishment, Princess?"

"No. But it's _their_ time," Lucy said pointing to the three cowering figures in front of them. "Virgo, I leave everything to you. Make sure that they all learn not to pry and stick their sickening faces in other's business again." With a curt bow, Virgo headed towards the three girls and looked at them before deciding on what to do to them. She's going to do what her mistress says or she'll definitely be dead meat. The girls howled and wailed with all their might to forgive them but still, the indifferent celestial spirit just looked at them with expressionless eyes.

"Natsu."

"H-Hai!" Natsu saluted immediately at the dangerous blonde.

"Let's go home."

**(~_^)**

"Seriously, Natsu. I can't believe you ever believed in them!" Lucy stared at the said boy who was sitting on her bed, pouting like a kid and taking a weird interest on his footwear. They are both in her apartment after they had left the three girls with Virgo and Lucy had not yet recovered from the anger she felt just a while ago. She paced back and forth. "They are strangers, Natsu, strangers! You don't even know their names—though you don't need to. What I'm saying is that they could've told you anything and there is no piece of truth in it." She stopped pacing and looked at him again. He had his head down still. She was ranting for like half an hour already and here he is, saying nothing at all. "Woi, Natsu. Are you even listening to me?"

Finally, for what seemed like an eternity, Natsu moved. "I don't even know, Lucy. I just.. well.. I was just scared at the thought of you leaving me," he simply replied still not looking at her looming figure in front of him. "I just suddenly thought that I had to do something. Anything to keep you from leaving me for another guy."

At the words being said, Lucy can't help but feel a surge of weird but very pleasant feeling that rose up to her cheeks. She felt pity for the boy, too, realizing that as strong as he is, he still has this fear of being left again by another loved one. Even if he tries to hide it, his dragon of a father Igneel leaving him left a deep scar that traumatized Natsu until today. "You really do think I would leave you as simply as that, huh?" As soon as she asked this, Natsu lifted his head up to meet her eyes. "C'mon, Natsu, don't look lowly on me. You know that I'm not that kind of person."

He looked down again, afraid to look straight at her eyes. "But I was thinking.. those girls have been somehow right after all."

"What do you mean?"

"Well, for one, I'm not romantic. I mean, I don't have any clue about romantic relationships, nevermind those things. I know you've been reading those romance novels and I know you've been imagining those things to happen to you," Natsu sighed. "But those wouldn't come true because well, your boyfriend doesn't know any of them."

This earned a surprised look from Lucy. "Natsu-"

"I know. I suck. I suck at being your boyfriend."

"But Natsu-"

"Yeah, I understand if you would leave me for-"

"Would you shut the hell up and listen to me?" Lucy glared at him as he flinched by her sudden outburst. "Geez, Natsu. I know you're hard-headed but I never thought you'd be _this_ hard-headed that you won't even listen to a word I said. What has gotten into you, being oh so pessimistic like that? I thought _you_ were the optimistic one?"

Well, she was damn right. What has gotten into him, really? The moment he thought of Lucy leaving him, he just fret and panic like a retard and he hated it. He didn't voice this out however so Lucy continued.

"You're not romantic? Natsu, what do they know about you? Nothing, except that you are Natsu Dragneel the famed Salamander of Fairy Tail Guild. They don't know how you almost gave your life in saving me, not only from the Phantom Guild but everytime we are on a mission. They don't know how you uprooted that precious sakura tree just to let me see it since I missed the Ohanami when I got sick," she said further. "And what do they mean by romantic? Giving a girl every minute a bunch of roses and tell her how much her eyes shine as beautiful if not more than the stars? Screw romantic guys if that's the case. I can make Loke do that for me if I want to-" Natsu scowled at the mention of it "—but I will never do that because that's not what I want. What you have done for me are much more romantic than what they think they are. There are a lot of things they don't know that you did for me, Natsu."

He seems to consider her long speech for a moment. And when he was still silent, Lucy blurted out randomly. "Don't tell me I have the intention of leaving you. That thought never ever crossed my mind. In the contrary, because of you acting weird, I thought you were cheating on me."

Natsu looked at her with an offended expression. "What? I'm not a cheater! And I won't ever cheat on you, Lucy, you know that."

Lucy giggled at this. "I know, I know, and I'm sorry. You have never turned your back on your friends, nevermind on your girlfriend. Is that right, Natsu?"

He looked away from her feeling slightly embarrassed. "Of course. Why would I do that to you?"

"See?" she laughed. "You would never leave me and so would I to you. I.. I love you for who you are and that's that." It's her turn to blush as she mentioned those words to him. Then she said, "Natsu, do you love me?"

Without hesitation, he answered, "Of course!"

She smiled a warm smile, "Then, it's settled. I love you ,you love me and that's all that matters." There, she said it. She felt embarrassed and proud at the same time for saying those wise words, as what she thinks.

This time, Natsu gazed up at her, grinning as if his life depended on it. "Ne, Lucy," he said remembering something.

"What?"

"Celestial mage doesn't break promises, right?"

"Of course."

"And you said you wouldn't leave me, right?"

"I just said that a thousand times already."

"In that case," the pink-haired dragon slayer pulled something from his pocket, still grinning at her. He was supposed to do this in the guild before Lucy exploded at him, "do you promise to stay with me forever and ever?"

Lucy gasped at the sight of a diamond ring sitting on the small box that Natsu is showing her. Is he doing what she thinks he is? "Wh-What?"

"What I'm asking is," he stood up from where he's sitting, still having that infectious grin on his face. "Lucy Heartfilia, will you marry me?"

The blonde looked like she had just swallowed a whole bucket of explosives. Realizing that Natsu is waiting for an answer, she said, "Of course! I will! I _promise_!"

Before she could answer further, she felt his lips crashing onto her and they were caught up on a kiss. She kissed him back as she swung her arm on his scarfed neck as soon as his arms grabbed her waist.

When they parted, she laughed as he leaned his forehead on hers. "You have to put me the ring first before you kiss me, dolt."

"Whatever. I would do it the Natsu-way."

"That's more I like it."

"I love you so much, Lucy."

She scoffed. "I don't need to say it twice," she said and kissed him again, showing her reply to his confession. And for once, Lucy thanked the three things –err, girls—for taunting and *cough* insulting *cough* Natsu. Mira's right. Cheesy as it might sound, she thinks they're both indeed heading in the right direction to being a couple who would stand all the test of time.

_Meanwhile.._

Somewhere deep in the woods, three girls looked anxiously at their surroundings. Seeing that they are all tied against the same tree, they were complaining at each other for the lack of space and the mosquitoes that are starting to feast on them.

"Hey, is it just me or do you think that Dragneel is.. hot?"

"Yeah, I mean, have you seen those abs and biceps?"

"Tch, forget it. I don't want to be killed by his girlfriend."

A moment of silence except for the howling wind. Then, "You're, right. Let's drop that topic. I'm too afraid of her."

"Same here, sister. Same here."

* * *

**A/N:** I know, I know, I've been cruel to Natsu in here. But believe me, even though it pained me to write those things about him, I just.. I just have to do it! *wails* Sorry, Natsu!

And I apologize if Natsu's a bit OOC here. As well as Lucy? It feels like I was writing about Natsu Dragion and Lucy Ashley of Edolas than Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia of Earthland. Nyahaha! Oh, well.

Be safe, beautiful creatures! And remember to refrain from following the evil deeds of those three tied-up girls. You might get killed. Gahahaha! But seriously.. ;)


End file.
